RPI national secretary Suresh Barsingh dies at 68; condolence meeting in Govandi on November 4

Suresh Barsingh, national secretary of the Republican Party of India (RPI), has died at the age of 68. He breathed his last in Chembur on October 29. He was national secretary of the party at the time of his death.

In his memory, the party will hold a condolence meeting in Govandi, Mumbai, on November 4. According to an official RPI statement, the meeting will be held at 6 pm at Vithu Mauli Golden Banquet Hall in the Lokme Compound on Shatabdi Hospital Road, Govandi.

The statement said Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale will also attend. The event will be held in the presence of senior party leaders, including Athawale. The aim of the meeting is to pay tribute to the departed leader and recall his contribution to the organisation.

The event was announced by Republican Party district president Sanjay Dolse and Mumbai president Siddharth Kasare. Kasare has also appealed to party workers, supporters and members of the public to attend the public condolence meeting and pay their respects to Barsingh.

Separately, in early October, Athawale offered to play mediator between Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He had said that going forward he could try to bring the two leaders together for good.

Speaking to the media, the chief of the Republican Party of India (Athawale) said the three leaders had shared a stage. According to Athawale, they came together on a particular occasion. He also said leaders are often seen on the same stage at weddings and other social events.

Athawale said, "I think they came together on this occasion. Leaders are often on the same stage at weddings and other events. It was hard even to imagine Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis sharing a stage, but Raj Thackeray brought them together for a day."

Athawale added, "I too can try to bring Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray together for good in future."